Prestons of Potto

What Prestons of Potto does

Prestons of Potto (legal entity: Richard Preston & Son Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 967165) is a family-owned UK haulage and logistics provider operating for over 75 years across four generations. Founded in 1936 as an agricultural contracting business in Potto, North Yorkshire, the company transitioned into road haulage in 1957 during the Suez Crisis diesel shortage and was incorporated in its current legal form in 1969. Today it operates from four depots at Potto (headquarters, Northallerton), Stockton-on-Tees, Knottingley (West Yorkshire), and St. Neots (Cambridgeshire), providing nationwide coverage across England.

The company's service portfolio comprises four integrated offerings: Flatbed Transportation (specialising in steel, concrete, and construction materials, with what the company describes as the most extensive range of flat trailers in the UK and the largest fleet of extendable trailers in the country, capable of carrying sections up to 46 metres); Curtainside Transportation (high-volume palletised goods for foodstuffs, consumer goods, paper, packaging, fertiliser, plastics, and turf, with high-capacity trailers carrying up to 52 pallets per movement); Abnormal Loads (heavy haulage for difficult or oversized cargo, with bespoke route planning, fleet escort vehicles, and established relationships with Police, Bridge Masters, National Rail, and the Highways Agency); and Warehousing (over 300,000 sq. ft. of storage across Teesside, Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire, with bulk storage, racked palletised logistics, container destuffing/stuffing, pallet handling, product barcoding, and pick and pack operations). The underlying technology stack centres on vehicle tracking for real-time fleet management and shipment monitoring.

Prestons generates revenue through quote-based contractual arrangements with blue chip companies, national supermarket chains, construction contractors, and small independent businesses. Services are delivered under multi-year dedicated contracts for enterprise clients and on a per-load transaction basis for individual customers, with goods carried under RHA Conditions of Carriage 1991. Pricing is custom-quoted based on load type, distance, and service scope and is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments span construction and infrastructure (primary vertical, including marquee projects such as the Olympic Stadium, The Shard, Emirates Stadium, Infinity Bridge, Northern Spire, and Battersea Station), retail and consumer goods (national supermarket chains), and general business customers ranging from single-pallet independents to large multinational contracts.

Name

Prestons of Potto

Legal name

Richard Preston & Son Ltd

Website

https://prestons-potto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Prestons of Potto is a fourth-generation, family-owned UK haulage and logistics operator offering flatbed, curtainside, abnormal load transport, and warehousing from four depots across England, serving blue chip companies, national supermarkets, construction contractors, and small independents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Northallerton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Haulage Services: Transportation services including flatbed, curtainside, and abnormal load transport. Revenue is generated through contractual agreements with blue chip companies, national supermarkets, and direct customer engagements on a per-load basis.
2. Warehousing and Storage: Storage services with facilities in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire and Cambridge. Includes bulk storage, racked palletised logistics, container destuffing/stuffing operations, and palletised redistribution. Revenue generated through storage contracts and handling fees.
3. Supply Chain Solutions: Fully managed supply chain solutions including pallet handling, container destuffing, product barcoding, and pick and pack operations. Complementary to transport services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Prestons of Potto provides UK road haulage and contract logistics services, operating from four depots across England. Core offerings include flatbed transportation for steel and construction materials using the UK's largest extendable trailer fleet, curtainside transportation for high-volume palletised goods, abnormal loads and heavy haulage with specialist drivers and route planning, and warehousing with over 300,000 sq. ft. of storage capacity. Services are delivered to blue chip companies, national supermarkets, construction firms, and small independent businesses through dedicated contracts and individual load engagements.

Product overview

Prestons of Potto operates as a unified logistics platform offering four interconnected transportation and warehousing services. The core portfolio consists of Flatbed Transportation (specializing in steel and construction materials with the UK's largest extendable trailer fleet), Curtainside Transportation (high-volume pallet transport up to 52 per load), Abnormal Loads (heavy haulage with specialized trailers and route planning), and Warehousing (300,000+ sq. ft. of storage across three regions). These services are complemented by driver employment opportunities and are unified by the company's extensive fleet and nationwide distribution capabilities, enabling single-pallet through large-scale blue chip contract delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flatbed Transportation Specialised flatbed haulage services for steel, concrete, and construction materials. Includes extendable trailers up to 46 metres, rigid flats, coil carriers, rear steer trailers, skeletal trailers, low loaders, and steering bogies. Used to transport construction materials for major UK projects including the Olympic Stadium, Emirates Stadium, and The Shard.
• Curtainside Transportation Curtainsided fleet transport for foodstuffs, consumer goods, paper, packaging, fertiliser, plastics, turf and more. Features vehicles from 7.5T rigids to high-capacity double-decked step-frames capable of transporting up to 52 pallets per movement.
• Abnormal Loads Heavy haulage services for difficult or awkward cargo regardless of size or shape. Includes dedicated heavy haulage drivers, bespoke route planning, fleet escort vehicles, and partnerships with Police, Bridge Masters, National Rail, and the Highways Agency. Specialises in bridge sections, steel sections, tubes, and cast concrete.
• Warehousing Warehouse and storage services with over 300,000 sq. ft. of accumulated storage area across Teesside, Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire locations. Services include bulk storage, racked palletised logistics, fully covered loading/unloading areas, container destuffing/stuffing, pallet handling, product barcoding, and pick and pack operations.

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Road Haulage AssociationminorOthersPrestons of Potto is a member of the Road Haulage Association. Goods are carried under RHA Conditions of Carriage 1991 unless otherwise agreed in writing. This membership provides industry representation and standard trading conditions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• XPO Logistics: Global logistics major with significant UK road haulage, warehousing, and dedicated transport operations serving enterprise customers. Overlaps with Prestons on UK freight and contract logistics but operates at much greater scale across multiple geographies.
• DHL Supply Chain (UK): Division of Deutsche Post DHL Group offering contract logistics, road haulage, and warehousing across the UK. Comparable to Prestons on integrated transport/warehousing services for enterprise customers, though much broader in geographic and service scope.

Direct peers

• GBA Services: UK-wide logistics provider offering road haulage, warehousing, and value-added services to retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods customers. Comparable on multi-depot UK footprint and integrated contract logistics model.
• Culina Group: UK temperature-controlled and ambient logistics group operating a large fleet and warehousing footprint across multiple sites. Comparable to Prestons on multi-depot UK operations, warehousing-plus-transport integration, and enterprise customer base in food/retail.
• Turners (Sovereign) Distribution: Sovereign-owned UK logistics group combining road haulage with warehousing and container storage. Comparable on combined transport/storage model and enterprise customer targeting in the UK domestic market.
• Wincanton: UK contract logistics and haulage provider serving retail, FMCG, and industrial customers with integrated transport, warehousing, and supply chain solutions. Directly comparable on service portfolio (haulage + warehousing) and enterprise contract focus.
• Maritime Transport: UK-based road haulage and container logistics group with extensive warehousing and a nationwide depot network. Comparable to Prestons on combined haulage and warehousing model, UK domestic focus, and B2B contract customer base.
• Eddie Stobart: One of the UK's most recognised haulage and contract logistics brands, operating a large truck fleet alongside warehousing and distribution services. Closely comparable to Prestons on customer type (blue chip, retail, FMCG), multi-depot UK footprint, and integrated transport-plus-warehousing offering.
• Europa Worldwide Group: UK-headquartered freight, haulage, and logistics group with road, air, and sea services plus warehousing. Comparable on UK haulage operations, warehousing capabilities, and B2B customer targeting.

Others

• Pallet-Track: UK pallet network operator providing next-day palletised freight distribution via a shared member network. Adjacent peer relevant to Prestons' curtainside and palletised redistribution operations, though operates via a network model rather than a wholly-owned fleet.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prestons of Potto